How to change settings on a third-party Wireless LAN router.

When troubleshooting WLAN connections issues, changing settings on the router may resolve dropped connections, low signal strength or connection failures. Use the following information as a guide when changing settings on the WLAN router.

IMPORTANT:

For router-specific information about changing these settings, refer the instructions that came with the router, visit the router manufacturer's Web site, or contact the manufacturer directly.

The image below the setting is a screen shot of a router setup page for a popular router. It is likely your router setup page will differ from this image.

The setting changes below do not have to be done in order.

Test your WLAN and Internet connection after each setting change.

Change the wireless channel frequency.

NOTE: Other wireless devices may use the wireless channel on which your router is currently operating. A different channel frequency may have less interference.

Clone the MAC address of the primary computer to the router.

NOTE: Some Internet Service Providers (ISP) log the MAC address of the computer to which the modem was first connected. If you then connect the modem to a router, since the router has a different MAC address, the connection may fail unless the ISP detects the original MAC address. Also, ISPs regularly push updates to rented modems. During these updates, a modem that was working properly may suddenly fail to connect. It may take several days for the modem to process the update and then the modem will connect again. Cloning the MAC address of the computer to which the modem was originally connected will avoid this issue.